Breaking Up With Spotify: Who Will Be Next?

Was Taylor Swift’s departure from Spotify the exception, or is it soon to become the rule?

It goes without saying that Taylor Swift has ended her fair share of relationships, but none of them have been so adamant about getting back together as Spotify has been. After Swift pulled all of her music from the popular streaming service, Spotify just could not let her go—or, at the very least, resolve their issues in private. No, Spotify went and wrote the Internet equivalent of “take me back” letters, launching a social media campaign using the hashtag #justsayyes and appropriating some of her lyrics to encourage the singer to reconsider her decision. Given Swift’s record with relationships, something tells me that she will not be backing down anytime soon—leaving Spotify single and Swift-less for the time being.

But that’s just it—Spotify is not alone, as it has plenty of other artists to sustain itself and its users. According to Spotify’s list of top-25 artists under 25, which was released this summer, Swift is number five—surpassed by One Direction, Miley Cyrus, Lorde, and Avicii at number one. When I reviewed this list again, I couldn’t help but wonder—will others follow suit? Is Swift an anomaly in this quest to keep record sales thriving, despite the fact that we live in a digital age? Part of me doesn’t think that she’s alone in her sentiments, but most artists have just succumbed to the fact that their music is out there online—and if fans can’t get it from Spotify, they’ll find it elsewhere.

Maybe, just maybe, Swift will spark a revolt of sorts among these young artists. Perhaps the other four artists who make up the top five under 25 will suddenly give Spotify the break-up call, truly leaving it devastated and alone. But don’t worry, Spotify. In the event that your other closest relationships also give you the reject, here are some more “take me back” replies, so you can win them back with no problem.

@onedirection You’re insecure. Don’t know what for. You’re turning heads, and fans just want more. @onedirection And yeah we’re waiting on ya, we’re waiting on ya. Come on and let us bring you back. @onedirection Yeah, we’ll keep doing what we do, just pretending that we’re cool, but we’re not. We’ll go crazy, crazy, crazy ’til we’ve finally won. I know you have regrets, so just return our love. @onedirection And we danced all night to the best song ever. We knew every line, now we can’t remember how it goes, but we know, that you’ll reconsider.

@MileyCyrus We probably shouldn’t say this, but at times we get so scared. When we think about the previous relationship we’ve shared. @MileyCyrus Now we can’t stop. And we won’t stop. Can’t you see it’s we who own the right? Can’t you see it’s we who raise the hype? @MileyCyrus Don’t you ever say you’ll just walk away, We will always want you. We never meant to start a war. We just wanted you to let us in.

@lordemusic And we’ll always be loyals (loyals). It just runs in our blood. Those kind of bucks just ain’t for us. We crave a different kind of buzz. @lordemusic We’re used in cities you’ll never see on screen. We’re very busy, and we sure know how to run things. And you know, we’re on each other’s team. @lordemusic So let’s go down to the legal court and talk it up like yeah, yeah.

@Avicii We didn’t know that the journey would end, but we know where to start (again). Cause we’re a space made for everyone, And you must realize. There’s nothing in this world we wouldn’t do.

Okay, maybe these fake tweets are verging on the realm of desperation. Maybe Spotify is nowhere near being forced to reconsider its relationship with artists that release their music on the service. But if Swift manages to resist Spotify’s wooing attempts, who knows if other young artists will start to think that they’ve been cheated, too?

Featured Image by John Wiley / Heights Graphic

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"Michelle Tomassi is a senior at Boston College and a former editor for The Heights. She can often be found people-watching in the Chocolate Bar, so stop by and visit her (and maybe even share a big cookie)."